Visitors walk within "The Light Inside" tunnel by James Turrell at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston Tuesday, March 19, 2013, in Houston
( James Nielsen / Houston Chronicle )

Photo: James Nielsen, Staff

Visitors walk within "The Light Inside" tunnel by James Turrell at...

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Visitors walk within "The Light Inside" tunnel by James Turrell at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston Tuesday, March 19, 2013, in Houston
( James Nielsen / Houston Chronicle )

Photo: James Nielsen, Staff

Visitors walk within "The Light Inside" tunnel by James Turrell at...

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Guests pass through the James Turrell Skyspace on their way to the Houston Symphony's "Russian Rhapsody" Gala on the campus of Rice University Friday March 08, 2013.

Photo: Dave Rossman, Freelance

Guests pass through the James Turrell Skyspace on their way to the...

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Visitors at "The Light Inside" tunnel by James Turrell, which connects the Museum of Fine Art Houston's two buildings, on Tuesday, March 19.
( James Nielsen / Houston Chronicle )

Photo: James Nielsen, Staff

Visitors at "The Light Inside" tunnel by James Turrell, which...

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The centerpiece of the Live Oak Friends Meeting House, 1318 West 26th, is James Turrell's Skyspace, is a 12 foot-square opening directly over the center of the meeting room.

Photo: Smiley N. Pool, Staff

The centerpiece of the Live Oak Friends Meeting House, 1318 West...

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James Turrell's Skyspace at the Live Oak Friends Meeting House, 1318 West 26th, was installed in 2001.

Photo: Smiley N. Pool, Staff

James Turrell's Skyspace at the Live Oak Friends Meeting House,...

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James Turrell's Skyspace in the Live Oaks Friends Meeting House. Turrell is a lifelong Quaker.

Photo: DirectToArchive

James Turrell's Skyspace in the Live Oaks Friends Meeting House....

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The recessed lights that frame James Turrell's Skyspace in the LIve meeting house become more prominent in the evening 10 minutes after the sun sets.

Photo: Aker / Zronkovic, Houston

The recessed lights that frame James Turrell's Skyspace in the LIve...

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James Turrell Skyspace
Don’t think you have time for art? This work could be a wake-up call. James Turrell’s “Twilight Epiphany” Skyspace on the Rice University Campus activates daily at sunrise and sunset. Set within the spaceship-like Suzanne Deal Booth Pavilion, it provides an otherworldly light show that lasts about 40 minutes and changes depending on the weather conditions. Wander across the campus and you’ll also find sculptures by James Surles, Jaume Plensa, Mark di Suvero and others. The skyspace is located behind the Shepherd School of Music; parking is close in the campus’ Central Garage. Closed Tuesdays.
Price: Free
skyspace.rice.edu
[Photo: B.J. Almond, Senior Director of News and Media Relations for Rice stands under the Skyspace by James Turrell at Rice University.]

Photo: Karen Warren, Houston Chronicle

James Turrell Skyspace Don’t think you have time for art?...

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James Turrell's "Twilight Epiphany" skyspace near the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University lights up daily except Tuesdays for about 40 minutes before sunrise and again at sunset.

Photo: Karen Warren, Staff

James Turrell's "Twilight Epiphany" skyspace near the Shepherd...

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James Turrell's "Twilight Epiphany" skyspace near the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University lights up daily except Tuesdays for about 40 minutes before sunrise and again at sunset.

Photo: Karen Warren, Staff

James Turrell's "Twilight Epiphany" skyspace near the Shepherd...

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Catch a sunrise or sunset at Skyspace, James Turrell's huge outdoor sculpture at Rice University.

Photo: Karen Warren, Staff

Catch a sunrise or sunset at Skyspace, James Turrell's huge outdoor...

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Interior of "The Color Inside," the new James Turrell skyspace installation atop the student activity center at the University of Texas Austin.

Photo: Florian Holzherr

Interior of "The Color Inside," the new James Turrell skyspace...

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A detail of "The Color Inside," James Turrell's new skyspace atop the Student Activity Center at the University of Texas at Austin.

Photo: Molly Glentzer

A detail of "The Color Inside," James Turrell's new skyspace atop...

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A detail of James Turrell's new skyspace atop the Student Activity Center at the University of Texas-Austin. "The Color Inside," with LED lights that are programmed at sunrise and sunset for about an hour, seats 25.

Photo: Paul Bardagjy

A detail of James Turrell's new skyspace atop the Student Activity...

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A detail of "The Color Inside," James Turrell's new skyspace atop the Student Activity Center at the University of Texas at Austin.

Photo: Paul Bardagjy

A detail of "The Color Inside," James Turrell's new skyspace atop...

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"The Color Inside," the new James Turrell skyspace installation, sits atop the student activity center at the University of Texas Austin.

Photo: Florian Holzherr

"The Color Inside," the new James Turrell skyspace installation,...

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"The Color Inside," the new James Turrell skyspace installation atop the Student Activity Center at the University of Texas at Austin, has an elliptical cylinder shape with a built-in bench for 25 people.

Photo: Florian Holzherr

"The Color Inside," the new James Turrell skyspace installation...

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The new skyspace is located on a rooftop where it might go unnoticed by passers-by. Access is via an elevator to the third floor, creating a journey of discovery for visitors.

Photo: Florian Holzherr

The new skyspace is located on a rooftop where it might go...

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Members of the Live Oak Friends leave the new meeting house after a service. The Live Oak Friends Meeting House is newly opened in the Heights area. The Live Oak Friends Meeting, 1318 W. 26th, invites the public to see light artist James Turrell's innovative "Skyspace'' on Friday evenings.

Photo: Steve Campbell, Staff

Members of the Live Oak Friends leave the new meeting house after a...

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James Turrell

Photo: Courtesy Of Rice University

James Turrell

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WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 28: U.S. President Barack Obama (R) presents the 2013 National Medal of Arts to visual artist James Turrell (L) during an East Room ceremony July 28, 2014 at the White House in Washington, DC. Turrell was honored for his for his groundbreaking visual art through capturing the powers of light and space. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Photo: Alex Wong, Staff

WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 28: U.S. President Barack Obama (R) presents...

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Artist James Turrell at his Roden Crater project near Arizona's Painted Desert. Turrell has been working since 1979 to transform the extinct volcanic cinder cone into a monumental work of art and naked-eye observatory.

Photo: Courtesy Of Hiram Butler Gallery

Artist James Turrell at his Roden Crater project near Arizona's...

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US President Barack Obama presents the National Medal of Arts to artist James Turrell during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House on July 28, 2014 in Washington, DC. AFP PHOTO/Mandel NGANMANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images

Houston-centric artist James Turrell received the 2013 National Medal of Arts from President Obama Monday in a White House ceremony.

Turrell, who now lives in Flagstaff, Ariz., has more public installations in Houston than in any other U.S. city. The artist is represented by Houston's Hiram Butler Gallery.

The award recognizes Turrell's ground-breaking visual art, which manipulates light and space in ways that force the viewer to question reality.

Turrell's "The Light Inside" is a signature feature of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. The neon-lit underground passage, connecting the MFAH's Law and Beck Buildings, is experienced by thousands of awed patrons each week.

Turrell was the only visual artist to receive the prestigious 2013 award. The list of recipients also included Jeffrey Katzenberg, Director and CEO of DreamWorks, and singer Linda Ronstadt, whom Obama admitted having a crush on in his early years.